Israel Offers To Quit Part Of Golan

MAJDAL SHAMS, ISRAELI-OCCUPIED GOLAN HEIGHTS — On a pole atop the municipal building, a blue and white Israeli flag snapped in the brisk mountain breeze, but Hussam Ayoub insisted that this was really Syrian territory.

``Syria is our country and 99 percent of us will be happy to go back,``

said the 26-year-old Druze stonecutter.

The growing likelihood of Israel`s returning parts of the Golan Heights to Syria has stirred emotions within the Golan`s indigenous Druze community that has already seen control of its homeland change hands four times in this century.

In a dramatic step toward peace Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin said Israel was prepared to withdraw from some parts of the Golan, which it captured in the 1967 war and formally annexed in 1981.

``We have said that in exchange for a peace treaty that promises an end to war and opens the borders between Israel and Syria, diplomatic relations and normalization, that Israel is ready to implement (United Nations Resolutions) 242 and 338,`` Rabin told Israel Radio.

``This implies, of course, some sort of territorial compromise,`` he said.

``totally unacceptable.`` On Wednesday, officials in Damascus had quoted Syria`s President Hafez Assad as saying Syria wanted every inch of the heights in any peace accord.

Still, Rabin`s words drew a nervous shudder from the Golan`s 11,500 Jewish settlers, who are planning to mount a major lobbying effort against any territorial concessions.

By contrast, most of the Golan`s 17,000 Druze residents seem to favor a return to Syrian control, although privately many express reservations.

The Druze, an independent closely-knit religious sect that split from Islam in the 11th Century, number about 1.6 million, most of whom live in Syria and Lebanon. About 25,000 Druze live in Israel, including the Golan Heights.

``Economically, we have become very prosperous under Israel. Everybody is working, everybody is building a home and now, during the apple season, everybody is making money,`` said Ayoub, referring to the quilt of orchards that covers the hillsides of Majdal Shams.

Ayoub, married two months ago, drives a new pickup truck and already owns a spacious new house that commands a spectacular view of Mt. Hermon. Few Israelis in their mid-20s would be able to boast of similar good fortune.

``But we have never accepted Israel. Syria is our country,`` he explained, even though he was only a year old when Israel seized this village from Syria.

A switch to Syrian sovereignty would bring sweeping changes to this sparsely populated region of mountain hamlets.

Syria is a poor country with a per capita income of only $1,020, compared to $9,460 for Israel. Under Assad, Syria is also a country that gives short shrift to personal freedoms.

``It is true that now we are living under a democracy, but it is a democracy only for Jews,`` said Ayoub. ``In Syria, it is a totalitarian system under one man, but at least everyone is equal under him.``

Mahmoud Kanj, 26, a plasterer, agreed that the Druze would be better off under the Syrians. ``We make a lot of money in Israel, but at the end of the month, there`s nothing left. The Israeli taxes take it all. At least in Syria, we will keep what we make.``

Kassam Sha`er, 31, sees it differently. Setting down his copy of the Hebrew daily Yediot Aharanot, he explained why he is worried.

``Our people have been waiting for this moment. They imagine they are going back to their homeland,`` he said. ``It`s a nice concept. However, we have had a taste of democracy-and after a taste, I know that I do not want to go back to the dictatorship of Mr. Assad.``

Sha`er`s family runs the Shalom Restaurant in Majdal Shams, an establishment that is popular with local Druze as well as Israeli soldiers who patrol the nearby border with Syria.

Like many Golani Druze of his generation, Sha`er is fluent in Arabic and Hebrew. He is one of the few, however, to accept Israeli citizenship. ``For one reason only-so that I could travel.`` he explained.

If Israel returns the Golan to Syria, Sha`er doubts he would find acceptance in either country. He hopes his Israeli passport will allow him to emigrate to the U.S.

``Not everybody can tell you what he is really thinking,`` he said. ``If you ask people, they all say `We love Syria, we want to go back.` Maybe people will look at me like I am a traitor, but I will tell you that what they are saying is not the truth.``

Samir Dabous is the Israeli-appointed mayor of Ein Qunya, a Druze village that lies in the shadows of a ruined Crusader fortress. The walls of his office are decorated with photos of Israeli politicians; his car is equipped with a mobile phone.